The Rural Voice, 1987-12, Page 29picked up by Springfresh Dairy.
Operated by the Steffler family, the
dairy deals only in goat's milk, which
is sent to a milk processor or cheese
company to be processed and packed
in Springfresh cartons. The dairy has
been in operation for six years and its
cheese, milk, and ice cream can be
found from Owen Sound to Windsor.
The Springfresh trucks are now pick-
ing up more than 15,000 litres of milk
a week for processing.
Zehrs, Beckers, and many other
chain stores carry Springfresh pro-
ducts. Springfresh markets several
types of cheese: Kossers, Baby Goat,
and Feta are only a few. Each cheese
is processed by a company that
specializes in one type of cheese. In
this way, explains Marjorie Steffler,
the quality remains high.
Ice cream made from goat's milk
is gaining popularity with the general
public. The Stefflers sell cheese and
ice cream at the Farmer's Market in
Waterloo on Thursdays and Saturdays.
In the summer months they have an
ice-cream wagon located at one of the
entrances to the market. "Leftover ice
cream at the end of the day is unheard
of," Marjorie Steffler says.
While there are no market guar-
antees in goat dairying as in the cow
dairy industry, a producer must get a
Grade A licence before shipping his
milk commercially. The Ministry of
Agriculture and Food inspects the
farm and issues the licence. "The
quality of milk is no different than
cow's milk," notes Steffler.
What began as a means of shipping
their own goat's milk has grown into a
successful business for the Steffler
family. "We have more demand than
product," she says.
One of the greatest sources of
information for the Drummonds has
been the Ontario Goat Breeders'
Association. The association, active
in Ontario for a number of years now,
is a network of goat breeders dedi-
cated to promoting their industry.
With six districts across the province,
the association not only boosts public
awareness but helps to provide infor-
mation to producers and is busy trying
to gain government support for the
industry. Another of its services is its
bi-monthly magazine, Browse. Bev
Wigney of Osgoode, Ontario is the
editor and information officer.
The goat industry includes three
groups: dairy, meat, and Angora.
Unlike other livestock industries, no
specific breed of goat is considered
better than others for dairy or meat
production. (Recently, the Nubian
breed has been considered superior in
meat crosses.) Most registered ani-
mals belong to herds in milk produc-
tion; many meat herds are crossbred.
The export of Ontario goats, says
Bev Wigney, is on the increase. Many
goats are sent to South America for
meat and dairy, and Angora goats are
being exported to the United King-
dom. Ontario goats have earned an
international reputation for quality.
In the Ontario dairy goat industry
there are approximately 105 commer-
cial shippers of fluid milk. While the
demand for goat's milk is good, there
is a shortage of processors for it.
Goat's milk is popular with people
who have digestive problems and milk
allergies. The butterfat level in goat's
milk is nearly the same as in cow's
milk, but the fat structure is more
delicate in goat's milk and more easily
tolerated. There is no difference in the
taste of goat's milk if it is processed
properly, Wigney says. Goat's milk is
slightly whiter than cow's milk.
Lately, the demand for goat cheese
has increased dramatically. "Chevron
cheese is very trendy at the moment,"
Wigney says. (Chevron cheese is also
imported in large quantities from
Australia and New Zealand.)
The Quebec government, unlike
Ontario's, has been very supportive
of the goat milk industry. Cheese
production in Quebec has increased in
recent years and Quebec now has 25
licensed goat -cheese plants. The
Quebec programs include market
development, grants for small proces-
sors, and technical assistance. The
Ontario association is trying hard to
get similar support.
The dairy goat industry also has
another side. Goat's milk is often
used to raise secondary livestock. Bev
Wigney and her family raise veal
calves with the milk from their 40
goats. Producers who lack a processor
will often use their milk to feed
calves, weaner hogs, and lambs.
Milk production levels are on the
increase in Ontario herds. Breeders
are supportive of the DHAS and
ODHIC milk -production programs.
Producers are also active in the Cana-
dian Goat Society type classification
program, which is similar to the Hol-
stein system. In the past five years,
many goats have been classified, and a
sire -proofing program was recently
established with the support of Semex,
the University of Guelph, and the
Canadian Goat Society.
In the meat industry, markets are
especially healthy in the Toronto and
Montreal areas. Market goats come
from surplus dairy goat offspring and
older cull animals as well as from
meat herds. Many animals, because
they are sold live at the farm gate, are
not recorded in any system. The
demand for goat meat, which peaks at
Christmas and Easter, often exceeds
the supply.
In a recent report, the Ontario Goat
Breeders' Association noted statistics
on the meat market compiled by Agri-
culture Canada and the Ontario Mini-
stry of Agriculture and Food. From
September of 1985 to September of
1986, Ontario Stockyard sales showed
that about 19,000 goats were market-
ed. Live goats imported to Canada for
slaughter in 1985 numbered 4,377.
The mohair industry is fairly new
to Ontario. The Angora goat is kept
exclusively for its hair. In the past,
mohair was sold individually by the
producer, but recently the Canadian
Co-operative Woolgrowers agreed to
collect mohair across Canada to ship
to a processor in the U.K. The ship-
ment was completed in December of
1986, Ontario shipping 4,716 pounds.
Many Ontario breeders are now
shipping Angora goats to the U.K. at
prices ranging from $1,000 to $2,000
per registered animal. Canadian goats
are well-known for quality fleece
production, and the export market now
and in the future looks very bright.
As more farmers, like the Drum-
monds, realize the potential of the goat
industry, it is likely that products such
as goat's milk and cheese will become
common in Ontario homes. Once
thought of as a hobby, goat farming
has become a significant sector in
agriculture.°,,
DECEMBER 1987 27